Mommy Maybe
by THaven
Summary: Kagome Higurashi has always loved children but a traumatic past leaves her fearing that she will never have any of her own. So what happens when a golden eyed child attaches himself to her leg in the hospital daycare?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Not affiliated with the InuYasha Series.

Kagome Higurashi has always loved children but a traumatic past leaves her fearing that she will never have any of her own, but when a golden eyed child attaches himself to her leg in the hospital daycare that might change.

Mommy Maybe

Prologue

A piercing scream followed shortly by the sound of gunfire ricocheted throughout the building breaking the excruciating silence. 'One, Two, Three shots' she counted to herself anxiously biting her lip in effort to contain her terrified whimpers as she sat tucked in a dark corner unable to do anything except listen as her kidnappers tortured the girl in the adjacent room. Since she had been forced into the dank and musky room she had lost track of time, the only comfort offered to her being a dirty threadbare blanket that did little to protect her frail body from the chill that had settled in the room.

Slowly but surely tears began to form as she made out the sound of footsteps moving steadily towards her. 'No, Please no.' she thought as she tightened her arms around her little body in fear of what was to come. It was the same every night, the sounds of the many locks attached to her door would echo and without fail 'he' would enter her room. Some nights he would come alone and others he would bring 'friends', she never knew for sure what to expect but never was there a night when screams weren't forced from her tiny body as she withered in pained spasms on the wet floor.

"Hello, my pretty flower." He cajoled, breaking her out of her thoughts. There he was, standing in the doorway with an entertained smile gracing his handsome face; oddly enough it should have been a comfort to her but coming from him it sent naught but a racing panic straight to her heart as she had long since discovered the deceit hidden behind that friendly face the hard way. He moved further into the room and she desperately wished to disappear, she longed for the ability to crawl into the walls but for her there was no escape, there was no one that would come and save her no matter how much she cried out. He would get what he wanted; he always did no matter the cost. "Ready to play?" he asked smile still in place as he reached for her and caressed her face as only a lover would.

At this point it was inevitable and she had no desire to end up like the poor soul that had most likely lost her life just moments before, so she forced herself to lie still as tears streamed down her cheeks that were still plump and childlike, she hoped if she didn't respond, didn't give him the thrill that he seemed to take from her torture, he would get bored and leave her alone. Sadly she only succeeded in infuriating him, slowly his handsome face contorted until there was nothing left but an ugly scowl and once again a pained cry was forced from her lips. As her vision began to fade the last thing she recalled was sound of his maniacal laughter as she screamed one last time.


	2. Awkward

Okay so I'm writing this story based on an idea I had a few years ago, I finally decided to attempt it after making the decision to take it in a different direction in comparison to the usual InuYasha Fan fictions, so bear with me this story is far from ordinary. I'll be happy to answer any questions and I'm open to all criticism and I'm well aware that there will be people that will more than likely hate my story but in my mind a bad response is better than none at all, that way at least I know my story had some kind of effect on my readers. In the event that I miss any grammatical or spelling errors please feel free to let me know. I'm so happy that so many people are following my story, it really motivates me. Also my first few chapters may be short but I'm using them as an opportunity to introduce my characters.

Chapter 1

Kagome sat up with a start, her face damp with tears and her heart pumping furiously against her chest. For years she had been plagued with the same terrifying dream, she couldn't count how many nights she'd stayed awake in her bed afraid to relive those horrible nights. Even after ten long years she still felt as though her life was at a standstill.

Sighing in relief she glanced to her right at the glaring neon red numbers on the face of her alarm clock.

"3:23 a.m." As she shook her head in resigned acceptance she moved from her bed, peeled her sweat soaked clothing from her body and walked into her small bathroom. It was rare that she ever slept for more than four hours and today was no different. Like clockwork she found herself relaxing under a steady flow of steaming water as she washed away the memories the best way she knew how. A little more than an hour later Kagome found herself dressed for her shift at work, due to the fact she rarely ever slept she usually found herself working more hours than the average person. Remarkably not one person found it peculiar that she was nearly always on the job; everyone had always assumed that she was simply this immense ball of energy constantly bouncing off the walls of the hospital daycare. To be blunt she hated her job, no, honestly she loved it, and she loved working with the numerous children that graced the walls of the daycare, she lived for it, but still it was a constant and painful reminder of what she could never have for herself. In a way she harbored a bit of deep-set resentment towards the parents of the children whom so diligently cared for.

Routine as she was Kagome always made time to stop in at her favorite coffee shop and after two years of visiting Caramels the staff had become accustomed to Kagome's consistent appearances at odd hours of the morning. In fact they all knew her by name, so when she walked into the quaint little shop the woman at the register glanced up and smiled at the dark haired girl.

"Hello Kagome! Having the usual today?" Kagome grinned and nodded, as she sat at a table nearby and immediately. She loved the atmosphere at Caramels; the entire shop had been designed to resemble a campsite, from the lanterns strategically placed on every table to the murals adorning the walls and the oak wood seating. It also helped that the scent of smores and cinnamon always permeated the air. All in all Kagome found the place to be comforting; it brought her memories of a period in her life when she was truly happy.

"Here you go Kagome, the special blend latte and a freshly made cheese Danish." Smiling Kagome turned her cobalt eyes to the petite woman and winked as she brought the Styrofoam cup to her lips, inhaling the scent of chocolate and graham crackers; it was actually a caffeinated take on a liquid smore and she found herself addicted to it. "Thank you Mia, you're such a life saver. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have my early morning fix."

Mia shook her flaxen head and grinned, before heading off to greet another set of early morning customers.

Quietly Kagome sat sipping her coffee and surveyed customers as they began to steadily walk through the doors. She had always been a people watcher and extremely observant even at a young age, now at 23 she just preferred to sit and pick out oddities about complete strangers. Take for example the rather portly man who walked in a few moments before with the bright orange toupee, his dark blue corduroys seemed normal enough but in reality that particular cut was made for women and to make matters worse it appeared to be missing the actual zipper. At the thought she grimaced and stood to leave, it was nearly time for her shift to begin.

As she walked through the halls of Glenwood Hospital with her identification firmly attached to her shirt she nodded absently at the residents, mentally ticking off her checklist. She had been on shift for nearly three hours and so far all had been quiet. The few children that were present at the daycare were all children of doctors that had been called in due a major accident involving an overturned tourist bus and two dump trucks. Fortunately the daycare was on a separate floor in hopes to spare the children any unnecessary worries and to prevent overall pandemonium. At the moment Kagome found herself carrying a warm tray of cookies and milk to offer the children as snacks, she was so focused on her one woman balancing act that she didn't have time to be perturbed over how stiff and silent everyone was today nor did she notice the tiny little white blur that moved towards her at an amazingly fast pace.

"Oomph" She felt the impact against her lower body and found herself propelling forward along with the tray that had been flung from her hands, it was like watching in slow motion as both the milk and cookies suspended in the air for a moment before crashing to the ground with a resounding splat.

Kagome groaned and moved to clean the mess before it occurred to her that her left leg felt unnaturally heavy so much so the she glanced down to find the most adorable pair of golden eyes staring up at her shrouded in a cloud of white.

"Well hello." She smiled down at the child taking in the two appendages attached to his head 'hanyou' she noted.

The child blinked up at her for moment hair glistening under the florescence of the hospital lights before breaking out into a toothy grin.

"Mommy!" that one word brought a halt to all thoughts of cuteness in Kagome's mind. In short awkward.


	3. Mischievous Pup

Well this is the third installment. As I said before I'm more concerned with introducing my characters to you at the moment. Feel free to share your opinions.

Chapter 3 Mischievous Pup

Sesshomaru growled in aggravation as he pinched the bridge of his nose and narrowed his golden eyes at the quivering diminutive man that stood before him. It was a rarity that anyone ever received an actual reaction from his typically indifferent form; however the entire day had been predominantly vexing. As a key investor at Glenwood Hospital he had been in conferences for the most of the day and had been required to deal with an innumerable amount of ingrates, both human and Youkai alike vying for his approval as he carried out his assessment. To make matters worse he had received multiple phone calls from the high-end daycare where he had deposited his younger brother just that morning. Apparently the pup had decided to be particularly problematic today, snubbing the caregivers and throwing tantrums at the drop of a pin.

Needless to say Sesshomaru was rapidly crossing the line between mildly aggravated and full on anger. "Would you care to explain exactly how this happened?" He ground out in a deceptively calm voice, slowly unfolding his elegant form.

Feeling the thick tension in the air the man fidgeted, nervously loosening his argyle neck tie as he watched as the powerful demon strode toward him, the killing intent so palpable that even as a human his instincts were telling him to flee although he took one involuntary step backward.

"Well sir," he stuttered suddenly feeling nauseous "I swear! I only turned away from him for a second and when I looked back her was gone. Please you have to understand, that child, he…"

"Enough!" Sesshomaru roared his clawed hand finding itself wrapped firmly around the man's tiny neck, as his eyes began to bleed red. Oh how easy it would be to end this pathetic waste of space, his only saving grace being the pitter-patter of fluid hitting the tiled floor and the instantaneous scent of urination assaulting the demons highly sensitive nose. Sniffing in disgust he threw the man to the side with a flick of his wrist and strode out of the room.

'Disgraceful human, such incompetence is unacceptable. How does one misplace a child?' he thought to himself as he set out to find his younger sibling.

Earlier in the day young InuYasha sat sullenly in the corner of the daycare his rounded face set in a permanent pout. He had no desire to be there because none of the other children would play with him and the adults avoided him at all cost. It was obvious even at his young age that they shunned him immensely, at one point the children would call him harsh names like orphan and worthless, but that was before he whacked one of his would-be tormenters in the nose for saying that he was a monster and that his mother probably was so disgusted by him that she killed herself in shame of giving birth to him. Of course even though the adults were present during the entire altercation he was the only one punished, but after that none of them even bothered to acknowledge him unless his big brother was present. The fact that they tripped over themselves in order to please his brother made him angry, not to say that he didn't like his brother, quite the opposite actually he adored Sesshomaru. At four years old, InuYasha could barely remember his parents and the older demon had been always been by his side; he protected InuYasha and comforted him in his own way. As a matter fact in all the ways that counted Sesshomaru was InuYasha's father. There were even times when InuYasha would accidently let a soft-spoken 'daddy' slip out when addressing Sesshomaru.

Glancing around the playroom where all the other children had gathered and were being given treats, he scoffed and decisively stood up, he didn't want to be there and they wouldn't notice his presence even if he was, so he would leave and go to Sesshomaru on his own.

Childishly he stuck his tiny tongue out at them before turning and jumping out the window, being a half-demon had its perks at times, especially now as he used his delicate nose to sniff out his brother. As best as he could InuYasha followed the scent, little white ears twitching as he moved stealthily along the streets, avoiding being trampled by the copious amount of pedestrians.

With his unnatural speed it didn't take long for his excursion to come to a halt at the entrance of a rather tall building. Glancing up, he realized that he had been there before on multiple occasions. This was one of the buildings that he and his brother visited often. Tiredly he moved on wandering the halls as he searched, he would have used his nose but the scent of antiseptics and cleaning supplies clouded his judgment and made him a bit dizzy.

'Where are you…' he yawned, half-demon or not he was still only four years old and the strain of the day wore him out. Finally as he walked into another hall, he noticed a woman ambling ahead of him and he was immediately reassured by the scent of chocolate and wildflowers. As dazed as his young mind was at that moment, he attempted to place the familiar scent and his eyes expanded as he realized it smelled like 'home', and there was only one person whose scent had ever comforted him like that. Dashing forward he latched onto the woman's leg ignoring the tray of goodies that had crashed onto the floor and smiled up at her "Mommy!" He cried out as she squinted down at him.

Quite frankly Kagome was still shocked, not even an hour earlier the adorable little munchkin that now sat across from her along with the other children happily eating cookies, had somehow confused her with his mother, but that wasn't what sent a pang of pain straight to her heart, it was the knowledge that she had actually liked the sound of it. He obviously wasn't one of the doctor's children but he was adamant that his older brother would be coming for him and as she obviously couldn't leave him wandering alone in the hospital, she took him with her to the daycare after informing security of the situation. In the meantime saw no harm in pretending to be his mother, she reveled in it actually.

She'd felt many different emotions in her lifetime but this, this was an emotion that she couldn't place, it made her feel happy of course but there was also a myriad of other emotions that accompanied it. In a way she felt as though she was Alice and had been swept away to her own personal wonderland.

"Mama," The little hanyou now dubbed InuYasha ran up to her, his unique eyes sparkling as he climbed into her lap and wrapped his tiny fingers in her ink black curls. "The other kids said that we're going to play hide and seek! Will you play with us mama?"

Squeezing his little body closer to her and grinned mischievously down at InuYasha who had now placed his little thumb in his mouth. The little guy was so cute and was well on his way to becoming a true heartbreaker.

Lifting him in her arms Kagome nodded and whispered in his ear "I know where all the best hiding spaces are." Grinning InuYasha hopped from her arms and grabbed her hand dragging her into the mass of little children. Their screams of joy and laughter could be heard throughout the entire hall.

For the time being all was well in their little world, as they were unaware of the angry demon making his way steadily through the building towards the daycare.


	4. What a day!

Wow, I checked my inbox this morning and it's crammed with fan fiction notifications. You guys are all amazing and I appreciate everyone who's taking the time out to read my story. I'm still a bit rusty but I'm slowly becoming more comfortable with writing this fiction.

To my reviewers, I'm so glad you all like my take on InuYasha. I figured it was time he and his relationship with his brother were portrayed in a different fashion. I think it's fair to say that everyone wants a baby Inu.

I wonder if anyone noticed the minor mistakes in the first chapter….

Chapter 3 What a day

'InuYasha will be the death of me.' Sesshomaru thought as he stood outside a door brightly adorned with pictures hand drawn in crayon and paper cut outs, muffled giggles could be made out but there was a solitary sound that truly stood out to him, the sound of InuYasha's childish laughter. It had been so long since he'd last heard the boy laugh and it halted his entrance into the room.

He had been on his way to search for the pup when he picked up his scent nearby. Intent on finding out how the boy ended up in the hospice he followed the scent, rage growing with every step. He knew without a doubt that he couldn't smell any blood but his beast had become irrational and would not be mollified until he saw for himself that the pup was alright, not even when he comprehended that he had been led to the floor of the building that was solely dedicated to the Glenwood Day Care.

However the idea of his younger sibling actually behaving as a child his age should drained him of nearly all his rage. Sesshomaru, could be considered many things but a fool he was not, he was well aware of how others treated the InuYasha, how they ostracized him, but as much as he would have preferred to maim each of them the laws of this day and age prevented such and there was the small fact that not once had InuYasha ever come to him for help. It was as though the little inu didn't want Sesshomaru to know.

Breaking himself out of his reverie, he brushed his silken hair away from his face before sweeping gracefully into the room. The sight that greeted him was far from what he expected.

There in the center of the room was InuYasha dressed in his favorite Batman T-shirt grinning up at the young woman that held him in her arms. Now quite frankly if it were any other child, this picturesque scene would have seemed normal but it was InuYasha, the child that screamed and fought anytime anyone other than Sesshomaru himself dared to touch him, not that many people ever tried.

That being said the sleek demon stood silently observing InuYasha and this human enigma. She was a woman of average height and her hair, darker than the darkest night, cascaded over her shoulder in a heavy mass of curls as she carefully placed the pup back on the ground.

Suddenly as though sensing she was being watched the woman stood ramrod straight before casting her eyes in his direction. Gold clashed instantaneously with blue as their gazes locked and for a moment Sesshomaru recognized something within her that struck a chord deep somewhere inside himself. He unexpectedly felt as though he had been drawn into a vortex, and unwittingly focused all of his senses on her.

"Sesshomaru, you found me!" InuYasha's high pitched cry broke him out of his trance with just enough time to catch the child as flew into his arms.

"InuYasha." He acknowledged moving a clawed hand to his brother's head to smooth down the wayward silver locks. "Did you ever doubt it?"

To anyone on the outside looking in, just based on their interaction with each other, they would've been mistaken for father and son. The normally frosty Sesshomaru softened as he nuzzled the child, he'd unconsciously claimed as his own while InuYasha happily wrapped his chubby arms around the demon's neck. Any intent to reprimand the pup for his behavior had long since been forgotten.

At least that's how it appeared to Kagome as she watched the two brothers, in a way it was touching but not enough for Kagome to forget her irritation with the demon that had only grown with each moment that she had spent with the sweet little hanyou. Who would leave such an adorable child unattended, any child for that matter? That kind of blatant disregard really pissed her off and she couldn't help but glare at Sesshomaru.

Sensing her ire Sesshomaru spared her another glance, lifting one perfectly arched eye brow in response. He didn't know the reason for her displeasure and being who he was he did not care to find out. However if the redness spreading quickly across her pale cheeks was any indication he was definitely about to find out.

Oblivious to it all the InuYasha proceeded to chatter on about his day to the Youkai, eyes brimming with joy. "I had so much fun today Sesshomaru!" He exclaimed bouncing with excitement before turning to Kagome for confirmation "Right mama?"

'Mama' Sesshomaru stiffened at that word and placed the pup down.

"InuYasha, go and wait outside the door while I have a word with this...lady. Then we'll head home."

Nodding his head, he moved slowly before pausing at the door. "Will mommy be coming with us?" he inquired innocently as Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes on the woman. "We'll talk about that later InuYasha".

Shutting the door firmly behind the little Inu, he turned and regarded the woman in annoyance.

"Would you care to explain exactly what is going on here human? What manner of lies have you been feeding my brother?"

Eyes widening Kagome growled and lifted her chin defiantly. 'Who does he think he is?' she thought grateful that all of the other children had already left and would not be privy to all that was Hurricane Kagome.

"First of all my name is not human, its Kagome, Kagome Higurashi! Second of all how dare you, come into my daycare and speak to me like that? " She grew louder with each word and Sesshomaru's sensitive ears twitched in pain.

"Quiet girl" he commanded as he stepped closer to her. He could feel his beast begging to be set loose, to teach this slip of a girl some respect. "I have no desire to learn your name. Now answer the question mortal, or you will regret ever crossing paths with me."

Taking another deliberate step forward he growled "What have you done? Why would you allow a child that is not your own to refer to you as such? Are you really so cruel and incompetent that you would play with the emotions of one so young?"

Gasping Kagome furiously flushed and refused to show the ingrate any fear. "Just wait one second; YOU of all people have no right to call me incompetent, as a matter of fact how dare you! I found that poor kid wandering around the halls alone and I've spent most of my day doing YOUR job. What kind of irresponsible buffoon would leave such a beautiful child unattended?"

In an instant Sesshomaru had Kagome pinned to the wall as his eyes took on a pink tint. "You dare insult me girl! If death is your wish I'll gladly grant it."

Unbeknownst to Sesshomaru, Kagome while gripping at his wrist as he squeezed her shoulders painfully had long since retreated into her mind. She had lost her battle with fear and no longer saw the tall demon, instead she found herself facing a distant memory, somehow she was facing 'him' her tormenter, the same wicked grin etched into his face.

Scared, she was so scared. Kagome's eyes had begun overflowing with tears and her body had begun to tremble heavily as she shook her head back and forward.

Normally Sesshomaru would have been reveling in his victim's fear but as he watched the woman, this Kagome, he could not help but note the glazed look in her eyes. No, her fear was not his due. There was something else, something that had triggered this reaction during their altercation.

"Sesshomaru, let go of my mommy!" he heard his little brother cry out behind him, it would seem that InuYasha had grown bored of waiting and returned to the room to see what was taking so long. Turning partially toward the Hanyou pup glaring at him, he allowed the girl to slip slowly to the ground.

InuYasha dashed to her side the moment she hit the floor, using his tiny clawed hands to shake her limp body, but Kagome remain unresponsive that glazed look in her eyes making her look almost as though she had passed on. The young hanyou sniffled and looked up at his big brother, his face red and his eyes watering. "What did you do?"

Suddenly Sesshomaru could feel the makings of a migraine coming on. What a day…


	5. What Inuyasha wants Inuyasha gets

VisceralMel, Sorry Hun I didn't intentionally leave it at that point. There were just way too many distractions around me at the time and I wanted to keep you all updated, but I just couldn't focus anymore.

Once again thanks for reading guys, it makes it easier to keep posting. Every time one of you reviews my story I'm motivated.

Chapter 4 What Inuyasha wants Inuyasha gets.

Two weeks.

Two long grueling weeks had gone by and yet the image of Kagome's near comatose body remained imprinted in his mind. He'd worked himself to the point of exhaustion, but regardless of how drained he was the thought still lurked persistently in the back of his mind.

Scoffing Sesshomaru rubbed his temple in effort to relieve the pounding pressure. It was not as though he was particularly concerned for the girl but InuYasha; the silly little pup seemed enamored with the human chit and had since been quite cross with him. He'd refused to speak with Sesshomaru unless it was to plead with him to see his 'Mama'. That was another matter the demon encountered; no matter how many times he'd explained to the pup that Kagome was not his mother, the kid would just ignore him and continue to whine.

After the recent fiasco Sesshomaru had promptly removed the pup from 'Playful Tots' and placed him in a facility much closer to his office however things had gotten so bad that InuYasha even refused to enter his new daycare, instead he would sit on the street corner and cry until his face was nearly purple.

Sesshomaru had no idea how much more of this he could take, while Inuyasha was the one who was supposed to be under punishment for his recent behavior, it was Sesshomaru who felt as though he was suffering. It had become apparent that the chaos in his personal life was now affecting his professional standings when he had walked into a meeting with his long time business partner ill prepared. Honestly how could Sesshomaru explain mistaking a little stuffed dog for a months' worth of carefully drawn up paper work.

Who would've thought that all these problems would revolve around one simple woman?

He heard his office door open and glanced up from his paperwork to find only to find Inuyasha, quietly peeking up at him with a determined pout. Quickly assessing the pup he noted that Inuyasha was dressed in his favorite t-shirt and a light weight jacket, the infamous stuffed dog in one hand and a child sized backpack in the other. His silver locks had also been pulled back into one long thick braid to match Sesshomaru's that day. The demon could feel his lips twitching to form a small smile, no matter how angry Inuyasha was with him , the pup still wanted to emulate his elder brother.

Shaking his head Sesshomaru sighed and checked the time on his Hublot wrist watch. "Okay pup, you win. Let's go."

As Inuyasha broke out into a wide, ecstatic smile Sesshomaru began to feel much better.

Kagome was mortified to say the least. Her nightmares were one thing and she had grown accustomed to them, but to actually have a mental break down was another. It had been so long since she'd had a relapse, in fact she had managed to live comfortably for two years without a single emotional fit.

'Why now?' she questioned herself 'Why in front of that arrogant, insensitive asshole?'

It also didn't help that despite the fact that she found Sesshomaru generally unpleasant; he was still one of the most beautiful creatures she'd ever seen. That day when she'd first noticed him watching her in the nursery his smooth, alabaster skin had seemed to take on an iridescent glow and his eyes, God his eyes they were entrancing and she had found that she had been incapable of looking away. It should've been illegal for a man of any species to be that beautiful.

Why'd she have to have an emotional fit in front of him of all people? Granted she had snapped out of it within minutes but, it still embarrassed her to the point where she'd been unable to look him in the eye and poor Inuyasha had been so worried. He seemed to be under the assumption that Sesshomaru had been fault and had cast accusing eyes on the Youkai until he had been forced to leave, of course not before wrapping his tiny hands around her face and planting a huge one right one her lips and promising to come see her again.

Laughing at the thought Kagome leaned absently against the wall of the daycare, it was early and no children were there at the moment so she was using this time to relax.

"Mommy" a familiar voice called out causing her to turn just in time to have the wind knocked out of her by a small body.

Grunting in discomfort she did her best to smile for the little boy, but it was difficult when there was a demon snickering at her a mere few feet away.

"Inuyasha" she whispered stroking his soft cheek "What are you doing here?"

Grinning the little boy jumped up and down in excitement. "Daddy said I could come play today Mama!"

"Daddy" She threw a curious look at Sesshomaru who merely shrugged and avoided the obvious question. "He wouldn't stop asking to come see you and since he's been refusing to go to the day care that I've been paying for, I figured it best to bring him here so I can actually get some work done."

Flicking a stray strand of hair away from his face he regarded the raven haired woman "I assume that you are capable of handling him for a few hours, as this is a hospital I needn't ask about your first aid training, however I do expect to find his environment clean and organized." Narrowing her eyes Kagome opened her mouth to say something but the Inu continued on. "As I have no choice but to leave him in your care, I am giving you the sole responsibility of seeing to his every need."

With that Sesshomaru swept out of the room leaving Kagome to gap for a moment before running to the door and shouting after him "Wait a minute, you can't just leave him here!"

As she watched him ambling away as though he hadn't heard her a silent 'I can and I will' hung in the air and Kagome could only stare after him.

Sighing to herself she turned to find Inuyasha staring at her expectantly. "Okay kiddo, what are we going to do today?"


	6. Realization

To my reviewers, I'd like to know your thoughts on Sesshomaru's interaction with Kagome and their mutual connection with InuYasha. My main goal was to have them dislike each other, but maintain a certain interest in their counterparts. I'm aware that the entire brother/father thing can be confusing at times and that a child randomly taking a complete stranger as his mother is unlikely but there's a point to all this madness. Just keep in mind that Inuyasha is the catalyst. Also as you should have all noticed by now Kagome is constantly plagued by her fears for rather obvious reasons, but everyone has their personal demons to deal with, what I want to know is what scares you guys. Feel free to share or not. Anyway I think I've given you all enough details about the characters for now. Everything else will be revealed in later chapters. Again thanks for reviewing, I appreciated your opinions.

Chapter 5 Realization

Kagome couldn't believe two months had gone by since the inu brothers had trampled into her life like a herd of wild horses. While her exchanges with the elder inu were still rigid and lacking to say the least, her relationship with the younger had grown by leaps and bounds. She could honestly say that she had grown to love the kid, not that it was difficult since he treated her as though she were his mother in every way that counted. Just the idea that she could be the mother of such an amazing child, even if it was only for a few hours every day sent a flurry of emotion straight to her heart.

However the recent changes in her life did not go unnoticed by her coworkers. She often found herself being scrutinized by the other day care attendants. Of course they were simply curious and with good reason to. With the continual appearances of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha who now spent every day practically attached to her hip as she worked.

That was she ended up sitting across from Annabelle, discussing the new addition to her life, as another attendant had taken all of the children into the hospital kitchen for a baking activity.

Annabelle was actually a few years older than Kagome and had taken the girl under her wing when she had first started working at the Day Care. With her fiery red her and exuberant personality Kagome couldn't help but immediately take to the woman and as it was they had become fast friends.

"So, spill." Anna leaned forward placing a steaming cup of coffee in front of Kagome as she took a sip from her own.

"You got a haircut." Avoiding the question Kagome focused her attention on Anna's red locks that had been formed into a pixie cut. Anna was constantly changing her hair, claiming every time that she was trying to reinvent herself.

Sweeping a hand carelessly through her hair the woman fixed piercing green eyes on Kagome. "Nice try but I'm not going to let this go."

"I'm not quite sure I know what you're referring to." Kagome hedged, reaching for the ceramic mug, suddenly she was quite parched.

"Bullshit" Anna challenged with a smirk "What's going on with you and that gorgeous piece of man-meat? I mean, not too long ago I had trouble getting you to take a day off or to actually look at a man. Then lo and behold Mr. Sex-on-legs shows up and with his gorgeous little son in tow too."

Sputtering Kagome nearly choked on her coffee and struggled to calm her racing heart at the mere thought "It's not like that!" she exclaimed standing up and used her hands to emphasize her point "There's nothing going on between us, the man doesn't even like me and for the record Inuyasha isn't his son, he's his younger brother."

Anna just smirked as she watched a very pretty shade of red colored the girl's cheeks "With a reaction like that, I'd say there's a whole lot going on, you've to admit it. Now go get yourself cleaned up, the kids due to be back soon." She said airily.

Shaking her head Kagome sighed and made her way into the tiny bathroom that connected to the nursery. Sullenly she turned on the tap and grabbed a spare cloth and soaked the edge before using it to dab desperately at her coffee stained scrubs. 'There's nothing going on, I'm not even attracted to him.' She consoled herself as she took in her flushed reflection in the mirror above the basin. 'Am I?'

In another part of the building Sesshomaru sat staring absently down at the city from his office window. Lately he had been thinking a lot about this Kagome Higurashi. He had thought that by allowing Inuyasha to see her as much as he wanted, the he, himself would finally be able to get her off his mind. Sadly the more time that Inuyasha spent with the woman the more Sesshomaru's curiosity grew. She was like a puzzle, on the outside she seemed to be this average happy go lucky person, but there was also this underlying sadness that called out to Sesshomaru and recently he'd been finding it increasingly difficult not to answer those calls.

It didn't help that she interacted with his pup as no other woman, human or demon would. It was as though Inuyasha and Kagome were feeding off of each other's emotions. They gave each other something that was essential to their wellbeing, something that was so precious that Sesshomaru loathe invading on their time. Often he had arrived early to retrieve his pup but would find himself, silently watching from the shadows as the two took joy in each other playing, games or just reading books together.

Searching inside himself he realized that he didn't want to be on the outside looking in, he didn't want to feel as though he were invading their special time together. This was something that Sesshomaru truly desired to be a part of, but to admit that would mean that he would have to come to grips with the fact that he wanted to spend time with the human woman.

The rest of the day had quickly gone by for Kagome; it wasn't long before her and Inuyasha were the only two remaining in the nursery and she was settling in for their daily ritual. Normally by now the young hanyou, who hadn't learned to read as yet, would have already been waiting with his favorite book in hand, but instead he sat silently on one of the plush couches with a thoughtful look on his face. It was almost though he was contemplating the evolution mankind.

"What the matter Inuyasha?" she asked breaking the pup out of his thoughts.

Biting his lip as he played with his long braid, he seemed to come to a decision before casting a serious expression in Kagome's direction.

"Mama, what does dating mean? He questioned crawling into her lap.

Kagome was shocked, why would a four year old want to know anything about dating? "It's when two people, go out together to enjoy each other's company. Where did you learn that would Yasha?"

"I heard the other ladies saying that you were dating my Sesshomaru." He stated then he tilted his head to the side "So if I go out with Sandy or Brad then that means we're dating?"

'I should have known they were gossiping about me.' She grumbled mentally, she could feel her cheeks warming up, before tapping Inuyasha's nose playfully. "No sweetie only older people go out on dates."

As anticipated the inu seemed to be frustrated "Why?"

Laughing to herself as the inu seemed to become more confused. "Because my handsome little hanyou, if they like each other enough then they might decide to get married and have beautiful little children just like you."

Thankfully that answer seemed to satisfy InuYasha as he dropped the subject completely.

At that moment Sesshomaru decided to enter the room, his tall frame blocking the entrance completely and Inuyasha predictably flew into his arms.

"Sesshomaru" Kagome nodded in acknowledgement, silently praying that he hadn't been privy to the conversation that had just taken place. That would've truly been embarrassing.

"Inuyasha are you ready? If we're going to make it to Zanera's in time then we need to leave now" he said to the pup after responding in kind to Kagome.

Zanera's was the name of a rather exclusive restaurant on the other side of town and the brothers often ate there as was tradition every Friday night, after all it was rare to find a place that would cater to both demon and human appetites.

Glancing back and forward between Sesshomaru and Kagome, Inuyasha put on his best puppy dog eyes and looked up at his brother one last time "Can Kagome come with us? Please!"

Eyes wide as the brothers both fixed their golden eyes on her; she quickly opened her mouth to refuse when as fate would have it her stomach growled loudly. Maybe she should've actually had lunch today.

Without saying a word Sesshomaru turned with Inuyasha in his arms and strode out the door as Kagome looked on. Pausing only for a second after noting that the girl was still rooted to her spot, he glanced over his shoulder "Come along human we don't have all day."

Kagome huffed in indignation before running after them "I've told you a thousand times my name is Kagome!"

Not even thirty minutes later the three were seated at a table in the posh restaurant and Kagome was seriously regretting coming along. From the moment they walked in she had received odd looks from both the staff and the diners. It was apparent from the way the hostess had tightened her rouged lips and dragged her eyes slowly up and down Kagome's form in disdain. She obviously didn't fit in with this crowd, especially not dressed in her coffee and spaghetti stain scrubs, if she had thought ahead then maybe she could've politely bowed out but the Inu pup had kept her sufficiently distracted the entire ride over, as she had opted to leave her car at work.

Now she sat next to Inuyasha uncomfortably aware of the dissecting looks she was receiving.

"Calm down Kagome." Sesshomaru said obviously he had noticed her state of discomfort. "Sit up and put on the illusion of total confidence, you are with me tonight and I will not allow a few nosey imbeciles to ruin my night," He paused and added as an afterthought "or yours."

Staring into his eyes Kagome smiled whether Sesshomaru realized it or not he'd just tried to comfort her and that alone made her feel ten times better. Without hesitation she did as he said and was about to thank him when she was interrupted by a woman walking up to their table.

"Hello Sesshomaru." Her raspy voice was as sultry as they came and it matched the body it came from perfectly. This woman in her black skintight dress was the epitome of sin, with her come hither features. "I see you still dare to show your face."


	7. Revelation

Chapter 6 Revelation

"I see you still dare to show your face."

A smug smile rested serenely on her dark red lips as the blonde vixen approached the trio, swaying her curved hips with every step.

If the positively glacial expression on Sesshomaru's face was any indication then this Marilyn Monroe imposter was not a welcome surprise. For a moment Kagome could've sworn that she saw Sesshomaru's pale brow twitch and judging from the way Inuyasha had suddenly slipped his hand into hers under the table, this was definitely not going to be a pleasant encounter.

"Aren't you going to greet me my dear?" Her red eyes were wide as she blinked slowly in feigned innocence and leaned forward, exposing her ample cleavage, completely failing to acknowledge the other two.

Imperceptibly Sesshomaru's clawed hand dug into the wooden table as he regarded the woman "Angelica" he stated clearly showing his disinterest by yawning and leaning his cheek into his palm in a bored fashion. "To what do I owe the displeasure of your presence in my company?"

Inuyasha and Kagome watched the exchange silently, taking in the sneer that appeared on Angelica's delicate face. Obviously Sesshomaru knew exactly how to grate on this woman's nerves as she seemed to be the type that could not handle being disregarded in such a manner.

Frustrated the buxom blonde pouted and quickly zoned in on Inuyasha. "Humph, still taking your pet around with you I see," Referring to the little boy "and you seem to have collected another stray. Darling it's completely unbecoming of a Youkai of your standings to even be seen with them."

"Seriously, a human and a Half breed." She flicked her perfectly coiffed hair back, spitting the words out as though they left a particularly foul after taste in her mouth. "Wouldn't you rather spend time with someone more on your level?"

Angrily Kagome cut her eyes from the woman to the pup who had hung his head so that his bangs covered his eyes, not daring to say a word. It seemed that this wasn't the first time the pup had been treated as such; he was just so resigned that Kagome could feel her temper rising with a fury.

Chancing a look over at Sesshomaru she could see that he was also bordering on rage. There was an aura of deep set resentment oozing from him.

'Angelica, my ass,' Kagome flared her pert nose at the thought of the woman ever being compared to an angel 'more like she-devil extraordinaire.'

"And just who do you suggest I spend my time with, surely not yourself." The pale haired demon responded.

As thought ignorant of the darkened atmosphere at the table Angelica laughed and fluttered her eyes "Well doll, you know the only reason I left you was because you couldn't see what your devotion to that little brat was doing to our reputations. Obviously I couldn't have stayed; honestly a worthless half-blood in our presence would ruin us. Don't you see I had to save myself?"

Kagome was shocked and Sesshomaru was now growling but before either of them could say anything Inuyasha stood in his seat and glared at the blonde, his face soaked with tears.

"Go away, you mean lady," He yelled pointing a chubby finger directly in her face, he could barely get the words out over his sobs as he stomped his feet "You aren't going to take my daddy away from me, you won't, you won't!"

Angelica scoffed "Listen brat, he's not your daddy and you better believe that as soon as I'm back in the picture you'll be out on your ass."

That's it! Kagome had, had enough; swiftly she hugged the wailing pup to her chest and used her hands to cover his ears before she let loose, eyes blazing.

"Listen you insane bitch, I don't care who you 'think' you are but if you ever talk to or about my son like that again, I swear I'll rip your blonde ass down from that high horse you seem to be on and snap you like a twig!"

Blondie was taken aback, no one talked to her like that and the fact that this human dared to do so was not acceptable. Swiveling her head toward the elder inu once more she whined "Sesshomaru, are you just going to let this human, speak to me like that? I demand you do something about this right this instant, who the hell is she anyway, does she not know who I am!?"

Kagome smirked deviously, grabbing the Inu demons attention "I'm his fiancé." She stated simply, not caring for the repercussions "and not only do I not give a damn who you are, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd leave my family and me to eat our dinner in peace."

Sputtering the blonde turned accusing eyes toward Sesshomaru.

He was amazed. Just like that all of the anger that he had been trying to desperately to restrain drained out of him like liquid. Never before had anyone ever stood up for he or his brother, to say the least it was in fact rather shocking that this slip of a girl would be the one to do so. Not only that, she had just claimed both as family and to an Inu demon family was everything.

'She has no idea what she just got herself into.' Smirking to himself he turned his amber eyes to the minor annoyance that still stood spluttering in front of their table. "You heard my….fiancé, leave before I make good on her promise and that's what it was a promise." Leaning forward he hardened his features "Try this again and you'd better pray that she gets to you before I do, I'll ensure that there's nothing left of your useless body."

Flushing Angelica stepped back before flouncing off in fear. When Sesshomaru makes a threat he usually follows through.

Turning back to the girl and the pup he was met with accusing blue eyes. "You actually, dated her?!" she whispered harshly so as not to wake Inuyasha who had actually cried himself to sleep.

Sesshomaru shrugged "Even I lack good judgment at times." Then "Thank you."

Not expecting that the raven haired beauty blushed and looked away "It was nothing I couldn't just sit there and let that bitch get away with it." Sesshomaru regarded her carefully before letting loose one of his rare smiles that were usually reserved for Inuyasha.

"So, what would my fiancé like to eat tonight?" He teased with an odd twinkle in his eye, the girl had actually done the impossible she had gained both Sesshomaru's interest and respect.

Kagome looked up quickly, realizing that he was actually joking with her and grinned. Just like that the two spent the rest of the evening in good-humored companionship while Inuyasha slept away. Bantering back and forward and sharing minor details about their live.

As the night wore on they discovered that they actually more in common than they originally thought. Kagome discovered that he actually wasn't such a cold hearted man after all; he just found it difficult to trust others while Sesshomaru had finally come to an epiphany. He had been avoiding it all along but after tonight he could no longer deny what both he and his pup wanted. It was her, just her and her loving, accepting personality. However he wasn't a fool, he knew it was going to take some work, but Sesshomaru always got what he wanted. This time would be no exception. Silently he began to plan, as Kagome rambled on about her job.


	8. The Gift

My apologies for the late update, I was experiencing computer issues.

To my reviewers, you guys truly are amazing. Your feedback is genuinely helping me to write this story. I take every opinion and suggestion into account. That being said, I will of course endeavor to make my chapters longer to satisfy my readers. Now I feel the need to address the belief that Sesshomaru and Kagome are together. To be clear that hasn't actually happened yet, but yes Sesshomaru has made some rather crucial choices. To be fair I don't even know the true outcome yet. Anyway as I've said before feel free to let me know what you think, I make it a point read every review.

Chapter 7 The gift

Kagome was running late.

Her day had begun in a rather abrupt fashion, when she had been rudely awoken by a phone call from her mother, who for some reason felt the need to share the details about her upcoming wedding at an ungodly hour of the morning. Drained from a particularly stressful day, she merely sat there and struggled to stay awake as she listened to Aria Higurashi drone on about the how the bridal shop, had gotten the color of her wedding dress wrong for the third consecutive time. Instead of the 'old lace' white that the woman had fallen in love with in the catalogue, she had received an 'Antique' white dress and was completely distraught. How the older woman could tell the difference, Kagome did not know nor did she particularly care, she just wanted to get back to sleep. Finally after an hour of seemingly endless ranting Kagome was allowed to get some rest, only to toss and turn for another hour until she finally drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

When she woke up, it was only to find that she had slept through her alarm for the first time in years. She was in fact so late she didn't even have time to brush her matted hair or even stop for her early morning coffee.

In an epic scene only comparable to the effects of a category four hurricane, Kagome dressed and rushed out the door, wearing one worn out tennis while the other was performing a precarious balancing act on top of her overflowing work bag.

That was how she found herself madly dashing through the hospital halls narrowly avoiding a cart of used bed pans only to run head on into a rather tall man, knocking him over from the sheer force backed by her rather fast pace and somehow managing to trip over herself.

"I'm so sorry" she apologized profusely, glancing at her wrist watch as she helped him up. "I'm just running so late…oh God I've got to go, sorry again!" With that she was off again completely missing that strange look of recognition in the on the man's face as his eyes followed her down the hall.

"Finally" She mumbled. The day care was in sight and there waiting for her to arrive, outside its door was Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. Coming to a halt directly in front of the two she bent over and struggled to catch her breath. Who would've thought that the hospital would be so big? She felt like she had just run a marathon.

Using Sesshomaru's arm as an anchor to pull herself up, she finally acknowledged the two, with a sheepish smile. "Sorry I'm late, I overslept."

Sesshomaru simply cast an amused expression her way and lifted a pale hand to her head and used his comb her matted locks. "Obviously" He replied as Inuyasha who was holding on to Sesshomaru's hand reached out with the other to grab Kagome's.

Anyone passing by at that moment would've assumed that Kagome and Sesshomaru were at the very least lovers of some sort, just from the tender way he was handling her. Not even Sesshomaru was aware of it but when he looked at Kagome there was this expression of completion on his face. As though he had been searching for something and found it only in the raven haired, young woman.

However it was no longer a surprise to any of the hospital staff to see the trio together like this, as Sesshomaru had taken to dropping in at the daycare during the day and having lunch with Kagome and his brother. In fact as the weeks passed by, Kagome had been spending more and more time with the brotherly duo. She had even started accompanying them on their traditional dinners at Zanera's every Friday night after her shift.

It was obvious that something had shifted between Sesshomaru and herself, they could be considered as really good friends but for some reason Kagome felt as though that title didn't really fit. She couldn't explain it but the way she and the Inu Youkai interacted was a bit more intimate. They weren't dating or anything along those lines, hell Kagome had never even been on a date, but she somehow felt protective of him, she wanted him to trust her as much as she trusted him and she did truly trust him. She knew without a doubt that she trusted Sesshomaru more than she had any other person that had walked into her life, even though she couldn't exactly explain why.

Strange, how life plays out sometimes. They'd gone from a mutual dislike to an indescribable emotion.

"Aren't we going to go in?" Inuyasha's asked curiously tilting his head to the side in manner that could only be described as adorable coming from a four year old. He was not a patient child.

"Of course, my love" Kagome shook her head in amusement, to be four again. Leisurely she turned and led them into the daycare.

Sesshomaru lifted Inuyasha into his arms and assessed Kagome from head to toe, managing to only raise a brow at her attire.

"Were you in that much of a hurry?" he asked motioning to her outfit as she followed his gaze. Flushing in embarrassment she realized that not only was she still only wearing one shoe, she had also dressed herself in button up lace top that was rather revealing.

"Oh no" she closed her blue eyes and groaned "Don't tell me I actually ran through the hospital like this! No wonder everyone was staring at me."

Narrowing his eyes at the thought of anyone even daring to look at her, Sesshomaru just barely managed to conceal a growl but the rumbling in his chest caused Inuyasha who was still in his arms to look up in question. 'Mine.'

"I guess it's all right" Kagome sighed completely oblivious to the change in Sesshomaru's mood. "I have a spare set of scrubs in my locker."

"Just give me a moment to change." She spared the two, who had somehow become preoccupied with a children's jigsaw puzzle, a quick glance as she moved across the room to a thick wooden door. Receiving only two distracted grunts in response she shook her head and left them to their own devices.

This room actually doubled as a mini lounge and locker room for the daycare attendants. It happened to be the only part of the day care that was toy free although it had been decorated in a similar fashion with large plush sofas and colorful walls. The only real differences in the room were the mini kitchen complete with a glorified coffee machine and a set of large metal lockers that had been placed strategically to the left of the room so as to create the illusion of a larger space.

It was rare that Kagome ever really used her locker but she did make sure to place spare scrubs inside just in case of an emergency. Looking down at herself she laughed wryly "I guess this qualifies as an emergency."

In one swift movement she yanked the locker open and was suddenly accosted by a putrid scent. Instantly her eyes began to water as she peered into the small space. There was her dark green scrub but it was no longer neatly folded as she had left it when she placed it in the locker, instead it was in a balled mass as though it were covering something.

'Strange who could've been in my locker and what is that stench? I hope this isn't another hospital prank.' It was well known throughout the hospital that some of the staff liked to play pranks to lighten the dreary mood that usually encompassed the building.

Hesitantly she reached in to part the folds and promptly let out a horrified scream. There wrapped in her shirt was a mutilated tabby cat with a large blue ribbon wrapped around its neck, its soulless eyes staring up at her. Stumbling backward Kagome tripped over her own feet and brought a hand to her face only to find that it was smeared in red, the thick blood even finding its way under her nails. Frantically she tried to rub it off on the leg of her trousers while resisting the strong urge to puke.

'No, no, no' she closed her eyes to prevent the tears from overflowing 'How? Who would do this?' At this point she had begun mumbling out loud and didn't even acknowledge a voice swearing loudly from the doorway or that she had been lifted into someone's arms. The sight of the cat burned into her retinas and the stench had already thickened the air of the room making it impossible for her to breathe.

"Kagome" the voice called "Kagome." Try as she might she couldn't find the strength to respond, it was as though her body had completely shut down.

"Shit, she's having a panic attack." That was the last thing she subconsciously heard before she fully succumbed to the darkness.

Sesshomaru thought he would have been spending his day working in office before joining his pup and Kagome for lunch but instead as Inuyasha lay across his lap in a deep slumber, he sat watching over the unconscious girl who had been placed in a hospital bed shortly after the incident. He hadn't had any time to reflect on the morning's events due to all of that chaos that had ensued after Kagome had found that damned cat and was only now beginning to sort of his emotions.

Oddly enough for a demon that rarely gave in to his emotional side, he was suddenly feeling an entire myriad of emotions. The panic that had pierced his heart when he's heard Kagome's petrified scream was still fresh in his mind even though it had been hours already, to add to that he was furious and was currently having a hard time keeping his beast at bay. It wanted blood and it wanted it now despite the fact that both hospital security and the police had shown up and cleared the scene quickly.

Whoever had placed the cat in the locker had done it intentionally and they'd left a note to make that point abundantly clear. 'A gift for my pretty flower' it read and judging from the look on Kagome's face at the time, it signified something that had triggered a mental breakdown. He knew he had seen that expression on her face only once before when they had first met and had been waiting patiently for her to explain what had happened. Of course he had tried subtly inquiring but the girl had always been quick to change the subject. Actually now that he thought about it she was elusive whenever certain topics were brought up, she'd always avoid any questions directed at her or she'd make an excuse to leave the room.

Growling in frustration as he regarded the girl, his body still trembling with pent up anger, he came to a decision. He could no longer ignore this 'No more, you will tell me what's going on woman, even if I have to drag it out of you. I can't take care of you if I'm stuck in the dark.'

With that he stood carefully placing the pup on a spare bed in the room before walking out with his phone already attached to his ear. "Gin, I have something I need you to look into and I need you to be discreet about it."


	9. Elise

Hello. Thanks again for all the reviews, seems like everyone is eager to know what's going to happen. I'm glad you guys like what I've done so far despite the errors that I'm sure are present in every chapter. At this point I think I've read and re-read my chapters so many times that it's difficult for me to actually pin point them anymore. Oh well, this story is my baby right now and I'll iron out any issues when I'm done developing it.

One of my reviewers seemed to be particularly disturbed by the presence of the animal corpse, just wanted to say that I'm not into animal violence either and the main reason I decided to use that idea is to give you a bit of insight on the type of person I'm trying to depict.

Chapter 8 Elise

"You're awake."

Sesshomaru stood rigidly near the window, as he watched a disorientated Kagome sit up with one delicate hand pressed against her forehead, from his peripheral.

"What happened?" Kagome groaned slowly turning her head to take in the room, recognizing the pristine white walls and the standard hospital bed. She had no idea how she'd ended up in a hospital room. 'Some one really needs to redecorate.'

"I think I'm the one that should be asking that question."

She felt as though she had been run over by a tractor and it didn't help that she could feel Sesshomaru analyzing her from across the room.

"I have no idea what you mean." Feigning ignorance, she used her long locks as a shield of sorts. Praying desperately to whoever was listening, that the demon would drop the topic. She knew exactly what he was asking but she had no desire to visit that dark place within her, she just wanted to forget everything and move on.

Growling Sesshomaru turned fully and took one aggravated step toward her. Obviously she had no intentions of making this easy and he was fully prepare to pull the scab off the wound if need be. She would tell him what he wanted to know whether she liked it or not.

"Don't play coy with me Kagome." He took another step, watching the emotions flicker across her beautiful blue eyes. "You know damn well what I'm talking about and until I get an answer neither of us will be leaving this room."

Biting her lip, the raven haired woman closed her eyes in exasperation. "It's nothing, don't worry I'll handle it on my own. Where's Inuyasha?"

He took another deliberately slow step and Kagome couldn't help but imagine that he was a dangerous predator and sometime in the last few minutes she had become his prey.

"That does not answer the question, woman." He hissed. He was fed up; someone had terrified his charge, his woman and he would not stand for it. His beast was already angry that this person had somehow succeeded in getting so close to her in the first place and to enrage him even more was the fact the putrid odor from that damned cat's corpse had quickly enveloped the entire room, eliminating any hopes that he would have been able to pick out the intruder's scent.

Jutting her chin out in brave show of rebellion, she narrowed her eyes stubbornly at the demon. "It's none of your damned business! Why the hell do you care? I already told you, I'll deal with it, so just drop it. Now if you'll excuse me I need to be getting back to work!"

Quickly she threw off the white sheet that had been covering her lower body and staggered from the bed. However, Sesshomaru moved so fast that she didn't even have time to blink before she found herself pinned back on the soft mattress, a very angry demon hovering over her.

At that moment as she stared up at him from her vulnerable position, she should have felt fear but instead she was encompassed by an overwhelming attraction. 'Damn it Kagome, now is not the time!' She mentally berated herself.

Eye's flickering as he inhaled intoxicating her scent, he could only look down at the woman, registering the heavy aroma of arousal. 'Later' He promised, tightening his grip on her arms. He had other things to deal with at the moment.

"Kagome, this is the second time that I've witnessed you break down from what your doctor says is complex post-traumatic stress." His chest rumbled, reverberating through her prone body. "I will not stand by while you're being terrorized! Your reaction earlier to that fucking corpse says a whole lot about how you're handling this, so stop acting like a spoiled fucking child and tell me!"

He had only just noted the scent of tears when Kagome started bucking wildly, using her small fist to attack him.

"Fucking hell you bastard, why can't you just leave it alone? Why do you just have to know? Would you be satisfied if you knew how much hell I've been through?"

Kagome was still yelling and thrashing about as Sesshomaru struggled to hold her down without hurting her with his claws.

"What the hell would you do if you knew I was kidnapped and raped as a child?"

Sesshomaru froze instantly but Kagome no longer cared. Her face had taken on a red hue and her eyes were swollen with tears.

"Answer me dammit!" She shrieked and moaned "What would you do if you knew that for six months I let those monsters touch me? They hurt me Sesshomaru, they hurt me real bad."

Unconsciously, the demon wrapped his arms around the girl as he listened to her cry. Each tear that streamed down her pink cheek, burned his soul. For the first time in a long time, Sesshomaru was unsure of himself. He'd wanted to protect her, to take her and hide her from the world, but how does one protect a person from their past.

Now that he took the time to really truly look at her he could truly see signs of the toll life had taken on her, from the bags that were already present under her large eyes, the sense of self-deprecation that seeped from her, to her unnatural avoidance of most social interactions. The only thing that seemed to make her happy, were the kids she took care of every day. She lacked a social life.

Suddenly the demon was stirred from his thoughts as he felt Kagome wrap her arms around his waist. Her sobs had all but vanished and she raised her heavy eyes to look him in the face as though deliberating something.

"It happened the day I turned thirteen." She began "It was summer and I was upset that all of my friends were away on vacation and couldn't come to the party I had spent the entire year planning, so my parents decided they would buy me this beautiful little tabby cat to cheer me up."

Looking off into the distance she could remember that day as if it had happened only moments before.

"_Elise!" she cried chasing after her new pet who had just run off right after she had finished tying a dark green bow around its neck to match her outfit that day._

"_Come back" she called to the cat that had made it all the way down the street. Looking back at her house she sighed before following after the cat. She knew that she was supposed to let her parents know where she was going whenever she left the house but if she didn't hurry Elise would disappear._

_Quickly she shuffled up the sidewalk, hoping to catch the cat before it got too far but it wasn't long before she realized that Elise had disappeared._

"_Oh where are you, you stupid cat?" she muttered stomping her foot in frustration as she spun around. There was nothing on this end of the block except an old abandoned house. She could vaguely remember the old man that had lived there when she was little but as far as she knew he had died and none of his children had bothered to claim or even see to the up keeping of the house._

_Staring up at the towering two story house she trembled somehow that house gave her the creeps. It wasn't as though anything bad had ever happened there, but somehow she just felt wary of it._

"_You couldn't have gone in there right Elise?" She questioned. Then as if the cat had heard her thoughts there was and answering yowl. _

"_Great, just great" She thought biting her lip seemingly trying to make a decision whether or not to go into the building. _

"_Meow" The sound called to her, so with one last look back down the street toward her house, she turned and moved quietly into the yard._

"_Elise" She whispered "Come on Elise! Please come out?"_

_As she wandered around the yard making sure to avoid the actual house she noticed that it was quiet, eerily quiet. The sounds of birds chirping or the sounds of any bit of nature were absent for that matter._

_Still she moved on still calling for her cat. Eventually she moved to the back yard. _

_If only she knew at the time that it would be the biggest mistake of her short life. She should've stayed within view._

"_Meow" The sound came from a barrel in the center of the yard. "Elise!" She called crouching down so see inside the barrel. There was her cat huddled in the corner licking its paw._

_Holding out her hand, palm up Kagome tried to coerce the cat to come out "Come on Elise, Its ok girl, come on out."_

_For a moment the cat just sat there staring at her before slowly inching its way forward, but just as it had moved close enough to grab it let of a loud hiss, and backed away its hair standing on end._

"_No! Elise what's wrong? It's just me girl." She lay flat on her stomach and tried reaching her thin arm in further but Elise kept moving out of reach._

_Suddenly she felt an excruciating pain in her head; someone had yanked her up by her hair. Instantly her hands went up to grasp at the offending appendage in an effort to relieve some of the pain. "What do we have here?" It was a man's voice "Brother, looks like we have company. Hey keep still will ya."_

_Kagome had been kicking and squirming about, trying to free herself and showed no signs on stopping. The grip on her hair tightened a bit before she was thrown to the side landing face first in the dirt causing her to let out a loud cry._

_With a small groan she used her bruised arms to push herself up only to realize that she had landed in directly in front of a pair of large feet. _

"_She just a girl" The deep voice continue._

"_Do I look like an idiot to you? I can see that." The person in front of her scoffed as a tanned hand reached down and grasped her chin forcing her to look up at him. He was actually quite handsome with full dark hair styled to casually fall in his face and a smile that would've made any female melt on the spot but there was something about him that just didn't sit right with her. He had a slightly manic look about him._

"_Please, I'm sorry I didn't know anyone was here." She whimpered growing increasing uncomfortable with every second "Can I just leave? I promise I won't bother you again."_

_Neither of the men seemed to hear her or they just chose to ignore her. "She's actually quite pretty." The dark haired man said "A pretty little flower. I think I'll add her to my collection."_

"_Honestly, another one brother? Look at her; she's not even your usual flavor. She's a scrawny little thing."_

_Heart thrumming loudly Kagome knew she was in trouble as the other man could be heard chortling in the background. These men obviously had no intentions of letting her go and Kagome had no desire to stay._

_Ever so slowly she counted down, taking a deep breath and bracing herself to run. "Now" Shooting up she pushed the handsome man away and made to dash away but he somehow managed to latch on to her ankle tripping her over._

_Desperately she kicked at him but his grip was far too strong, from her new position she could see the other man who was the larger of the two still chuckling away. He seemed amused beyond belief._

"_Help me!" she cried out "Someone help please!" Still she struggled to free herself; her raven hair had come loose from the high ponytail she had so carefully styled that morning, and now flowed freely around her face._

"_Don't just stand there you buffoon, shut the girl up!" He assailant commanded his partner._

_Honest fear struck her as she watched the larger man stroll toward her at an effortless pace. She tried to crawl away but her leg was still in a tight grip. Then he was directly in front of her and his large meaty fist came down on her face with a sickening crunch._

_The pain reverberated throughout her entire body and for a moment she saw a multitude of colors all centered on a pair of green cat like eyes. Then nothing, the world around her had ceased to exist. _

"When I came to, I was locked away in a strange room. I was only there for six months, but to me every day felt like a life time. I felt so dirty all the time." Feeling drained she rested her head on Sesshomaru's chest and allowed herself to relax as the demon ran his fingers through hair. Sometime during her story Sesshomaru had shifted so that she was lying on his chest and in a few short minutes all that could be heard was Kagome's soft snores and she slept. The demon was completely silent as he thought about the nights events.


	10. Good Luck

Hello guys first of all I'd like to apologize for not updating for so long. I have been having some hardware problems and the chapters that I had already typed out somehow managed to be deleted. Amazing luck right? Anyway I fully intend to complete this story so don't worry. Once again thank you all for reading and reviewing it still makes my day.

Oh and I love that you guys keep trying to guess who my characters are.

Chapter 9

'Damn it' his dark eyes narrowed as he observed the slumbering duo from the doorway. He'd made his way to a sequestered section of the hospital customarily reserved for diplomats and the like when he'd discovered that Sesshomaru had commandeered the entire section all for the comfort of the woman who looked after the hanyou brat.

The rumors about Sesshomaru's love life were running rampant and needless to say this entire situation had done nothing but add fuel to the fire. It was all anyone at the blasted hospital ever talked about. He couldn't even take a decent piss without someone bringing it up. Damned fools that they were…

Just the mere thought of any romantic relations between the unlikely pair made his blood boil; he could feel his anger getting ready to burst free as though it had a mind of its own. Silently he looked on as the pale haired demon tightened an arm around the slip of a girl. Angrily, he bit his lip to prevent himself from openly protesting. He was being upstaged and he didn't like it.

He was positively green with envy. That should be him in there, basking in the attention, able to wrap his arms around his love. 'Shit' he scowled. If there was one thing he truly hated it was sharing, so much so that he would rather destroy something he loved than allow anyone else to touch it.

It was part of the reason he'd placed that mangled animal in the locker. He knew that with Kagome's history she'd react horribly, much like a psychopath and hopefully she would chase Sesshomaru away, however it had backfired and somehow had brought the two closer. It was clear that it would take a lot more to scare Sesshomaru off.

He scowled for a moment before a wicked grin grew on his tanned face 'No matter.' He thought pulling at his long braid 'I'm not done yet, I'll just have to tread carefully now.'

Throwing one last look of distaste at the two he wandered of silently plotting. He was so lost in his thoughts that he took no notice of the tall red headed woman or the curious amber eyes that followed him as he left the hall.

Silently strolling along the corridor, hand-in-hand with Inuyasha, Anna found herself at a loss of words. Her closest friend had suffered that day and she wasn't there for her. Quite frankly, it was frustrating. The red head had always known that Kagome had a lot of skeletons in her closet and made it clear that it was one part of her life that she preferred not to share but this….this was absolutely far from anything she'd expected.

To think that she'd come in to work today as exuberant as ever, only to be bombarded with gossip from the other caretakers about Kagome's incident that morning, put a damper on her spirits.

'Poor girl' She'd thought at the time, as a matter of fact she'd wanted to dash off to comfort her friend but one look at the sullen Inuyasha alone in the far corner the room and she'd reigned in her fierce desire to protect and comfort the raven haired girl. Kagome would appreciate it a lot more if Anna looked after Inuyasha's welfare that day and it looked like the little boy really needed some comfort. She was sure he was just as if not more worried about Kagome than she was.

That was how she found herself on her way to Kagome's 'room' with the child in tow after her shift. She'd had a hard time persuading the head nurse to let her know exactly where Kagome had been placed but eventually the buxom woman had given in. After all no one wanted to put up with an incensed Annabelle.

"See she's perfectly fine" She said softly to the child as they came to a halt directly in front of Kagome's room.

Curiously the little hanyou crept into the room, dragging Anna along with him and peered up at the bed where his friend laid wrapped securely in his elder brother's arms.

"Brother." He whispered causing the elder demon to stir. "Inuyasha" Sesshomaru sighed slowly carefully removing one arm from the beauty in his arms and holding it out to the wide eyed pup, who quickly climbed onto the bed, and let out an exhausted sigh as his brother laid a strong comforting hand on his head.

"How is she?" Anna bit her lip assessing Kagome's form from her viewpoint.

The question sent Sesshomaru's mind reeling into a suffocating spiral of confusion and anger as he recalled everything Kagome had told him about her past. In a rare moment of weakness he was tempted to let his baser half have full reign, if only to hunt down those that would dare to even think about harming his charge. He desired nothing more than to spill their blood and he knew neither he nor his beast would be able to truly rest until the threat was eliminated.

Realizing that the dog demon seemed to be lost in another world Anna shook her head and cleared her throat loudly bringing Sesshomaru's attention back to the real world.

Silently the demon adjusted his grip around his pup and his woman, as he scrutinized the flame haired woman who stood unwavering before him although it was clear from the flicker in her eyes that the sheer pressure of his gaze unnerved her. She even had the audacity to glare at him and tap her small foot impatiently as though she found him to be an annoyance.

"Well?" Anna pressed on, well aware that Sesshomaru could rip out her heart with in the blink of an eye; however she was far too concerned with her friend's wellbeing to give in to her fear. "I just want to know if she's ok, and which idiot I'm going to have to hurt for doing this to Kagome!" Her feisty attitude was beginning to make an appearance.

Little did she know that it was in that moment that she'd gained Sesshomaru's respect. Obviously this woman was a true friend to his charge."

"Kagome is fine, if not a bit traumatized." He finally answered, noting the red head's sigh of relief. "You work with Kagome more often than not correct?"

Tilting her head curiously to the side, Anna nodded in affirmation. "Why does it matter?"

"Have you seen anyone unusual around the daycare lately?" he questioned, normally he would just use his nose to track his prey but so many people come and go from that area, it would be near impossible, completely impossible if one added the heavy scent of sickness and various drugs that clung to the walls of the hospital that coincidentally dulled his sense of smell.

Now even more confused, she tried to think back to the faces she'd seen around recently, there was no one out of the ordinary, no face that she did not recognize.

"No she murmured "We do get a few new clients that drop of their children while they visit friends or family, but not in the last few weeks."

Sighing Sesshomaru glanced down at Inuyasha who had fallen asleep and was now tucked between Sesshomaru and Kagome with a tiny thumb stuffed in his mouth. This was his family.

Mouth thinning in determination he returned his attention to Anna, still standing in the room. "Do you know where Kagome lives?" He continued without waiting for an answer "I need you to go to her home and pack as much as you can, anything you think she will require for a long stay."

Her eyes widened a fraction "I thought you said Kagome was fine! Why would she need to stay here?"

"Calm down woman!" the demon snapped "Kagome is fine physically, but mentally I am not so sure, either way I would prefer that she not be alone until things settle down." Until he could track down and kill the bastard that put Kagome in this state. He was out for blood; the words of course were left unsaid. "She'll be staying with me until further notice."

Anna shook her head, short locks flying as she grinned. "I'll do it but if you think Kagome will just sit back and allow you to usurp her life then you've got another thing coming,

Giggling as though she knew something he did not, Anna turned on her heel and walked out the room. "Good luck!" She called over her shoulder. "I'll be back within the hour."


	11. Alls fair in love and war

Hello guys. After being missing in action for so long, I'm glad you guys are still interested in reading my story, even though it's completely unedited. I'm also happy to see that some of you actually answered my question of fear in one of the previous chapters. Anyway I need some general feedback at the moment. Do you guys think this story needs to be a bit more descriptive, is there anything you feel is missing?

Chapter 10: A taste of heaven.

"What did you just say?" Kagome stuttered, her thin black brows lifting and nearly disappearing into her hairline.

She had woken up to find Inuyasha cuddled up into her bosom and Sesshomaru deep in conversation with her coworker Anna. It was quite a strange site considering the fact that that Inu demon usually showed his indifference to others in his reluctance to involve himself in everyday conversation and as far as Kagome knew Sesshomaru, now considered a regular guest at the daycare had never interacted with any of the other caretakers, before today that is. Even stranger was the unfamiliar pang that thrummed deep in her gut as she watched the two. Anna with her stunning physique had tilted her head back to look up at the taller man who in turn offered her his complete attention, his sleek body in a relaxed pose. They looked like they belonged together.

Maybe it was nothing.

For a moment she'd considered allowing them to continue without drawing their attention away from each other but her eyes suddenly fell on a large purple suitcase, sitting near the door that oddly enough resembled the one she had stashed in her closet back at the apartment. Upon further inspection she noted a long white ribbon extending from the bag with a large foam 'k' dangling from the end. It was remarkably similar to the one that the kids in the day care made for her. In an instant it was as though a fog had lifted from her sleep dazed mind.

'Wait one second that IS my suitcase!'

She frowned, her pink lips forming into a delicate pout. Last she checked she didn't require an extended stay at the hospital and she definitely hadn't planned an impromptu vacation. So why was it here? More importantly how did it even get here?

"What the hell is going on?" she exclaimed irritably, struggling to sit up without waking the boy in her arms. It had been a long and taxing day. Needless to say she was limited on patience today

Abruptly the two turned to face Kagome. From her viewpoint she could clearly see the guilty look on Anna's tanned face, barely covering the underlying layer of worry while Sesshomaru stood of to the side seemingly unaffected.

"Oh Kagome" the red head moved swiftly to Kagome's bedside, latching onto her hands. "Doll face, you were sleeping so peacefully that I thought for sure that you would sleep for at least another day," A mischievous grin formed on her face as she leaned in to whisper conspicuously "or maybe you were busy dreaming about a certain gorgeous demon, hm." Both women of course knew that the demon in question could hear them clearly and if the smirk on his handsome face was any indication, he was most definitely amused.

Flushing deep red, Kagome ducked her and stuttered to herself before regaining her momentum.

"Anna!" she whined, deliberately avoiding the question, a fact that neither demon nor human missed.

"Would anyone care to inform me why my luggage is here?" She'd had enough relapses to know that she would not need to be kept overnight for observation and clearly wouldn't need the amount of clothing that were probably thrown in the bag.

"Well you see…funny story doll," Anna fiddled with her fingers a trait that only ever occurred when she was nervous or on the verge of telling a huge lie. "You wouldn't believe…um Sesshomaru!" The red headed vixen pleaded for assistance, Kagome could be downright scary when her shackles were up and Anna had no desire to be on the receiving end this time around.

The demon who was in no mood to play games and promptly informed Kagome that she would be staying with him from this point on as though there were to be no questions asked, resulting in Kagome's incredulous exclamation.

"But that's ridiculous; I have a perfectly good home!" Blue eyes flashed in anger.

"You 'will' be moving into my home today" He crossed his muscular arms over his chest inadvertently flexing them and causing the poor girl to blush once again. Focus Kagome.

"Until my men apprehend the culprit, you won't be safe on your own."

"Are you insane?" She shrieked throwing her hands up in exasperation "It was probably just a stupid prank, no harm no foul. I don't need to be coddled or protected!"

"Your reaction to that prank today, speaks for itself" It was an immediate and effective response, one that nearly shut her up.

"I'll be just fine;" she mumbled "If you believe for one second that I'm going to live with you just because..."

"Mommy is going to live with us now?" Inuyasha's sleep laden voice broke through her tirade, forcing her to change her focus to the young pup that had apparently woken up in the middle of her rant.

At her silence Inuyasha turned to his brother "Is she?" he demanded from the older man who smirked and nodded in confirmation while Anna stood to the side failing to stifle her laughter. "Hook, line and sinker."

Both were ignoring the fact that Kagome, was currently attempting to make them both spontaneously combust with naught but the force of her glare.

Inuyasha however was not yet satisfied. He stood shakily on the bed and placed his chubby hand on Kagome's cheeks, looking her directly in the eye with a serious expression that was absolutely comical on the face of a four year old.

"Mama will live with us now, we will keep you safe." He declared before plopping down and stuffing his thumb in his mouth.

'Well when you put it like that.' Kagome melted instantaneously and sighed "Really, who could deny the pup?" She was such a sucker

"Yes honey" she pulled Inuyasha into a tight embrace "Mommy will live with you from now on"

Sesshomaru looked on in approval. He had taught the pup well.

Still Kagome couldn't help but question why Sesshomaru believed that she needed to be protected and she fully intended to find out. The incident that morning couldn't have garnered this reaction. Right?

"Inuyasha, why don't you go get us some chocolate from the vending machine." She suggested offering him a few bills from her pocket. Luckily there was a machine on every floor. After all never knew when one of the doctors would need a small 'Pick-me-up'.

As expected the pup immediately got excited. In the last two weeks, ever since Kagome had shown him how to use the machine, he had developed an unhealthy obsession with it. He rarely even ate the things he bought; instead he would offer them to the other children. No, he was simply fascinated with where the money went and how the snacks came out. At least that was the explanation Inuyasha gave Kagome when she caught him climbing the machine and pressing his little triangular shaped ears against its cool surface.

In a flash Inuyasha was out the door, moving almost too fast for the naked eye and leaving Sesshomaru to raise one curious eyebrow, appearing to be disturbed by Inuyasha's hasty departure.

"Sesshomaru" She began a determined expression on her face.

"Not now Kagome." He stated knowing exactly what she would ask. Truth was, he really was not confident that she would be able to handle the truth and he had this overwhelming need to keep her safe, even from herself if need be. "Maybe you should freshen up, we'll be leaving shortly and you need to eat."

"I'm not hungry" She argued growing suspicious over Sesshomaru's reluctance to speak. 'He's trying to distract me.'

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, he really did not appreciate being disobeyed. "You will eat."

Sensing the impending explosion between the two Anna stepped forward intent on playing mediator

"Go on and wash up darling, I could hear your stomach complaining the entire time you were out of it. Besides Inuyasha didn't each much today either and I'm sure the kid is hungry by now as well."

'Traitor'

Kagome huffed and steadily made her way into the small connected bathroom. "Fine." She ground out reluctantly "Of course you guys would play dirty."

As soon as the door closed behind her Anna swung around to face Sesshomaru "When are you going to tell her?"

She was personally still trembling from her earlier visit to Kagome's apartment. When she had arrived she met the door ajar and from where she stood she could clearly see that the place had been torn apart.

There was absolutely no way she would enter the apartment on her own. However she didn't realize the full extent of the damage until she had phoned Kagome's hospital room to inform Sesshomaru, who immediately dispatched some of his men to the location. The place was destroyed, not only was the furniture left in bits and pieces, the blinds were ripped and someone had even gone as far as to ejaculated all over Kagome's bedspread. Disgusted Anna tried to salvage as much as she possibly could while Sesshomaru's crew cleaned up the mess. Unfortunately her eyes couldn't help drifting to the pale blue wall that was now marred by a jagged script, written in what appeared to be Kagome's lipstick.

_Did you miss me?_

Shaking herself out of her thoughts Anna once again pleaded with Sesshomaru "She needs to know"

Eyes focused on the door that Kagome had walked through Sesshomaru nodded "She'll know when I think she will be able to handle it." Sesshomaru knew her well enough to know that she was the type of woman that would be led by her emotions and he didn't want to have to deal with the repercussions.

Sighing she shook her head in discord, "Your funeral, when she finds out. I'm going to rescue the vending machine from your pup, and then I'll be heading home. I still feel dirty. Give Kagome my love."

With that she flounced out of the room.

Hours later Kagome found herself sitting in a large room unpacking her suitcase. Her red headed friend had apparently stuffed the bag with enough clothing to last for months. It was as though she didn't expect Kagome to return home. Even then she couldn't fill the large walk in closet attached to the bedroom, not that she was particularly surprised. Sesshomaru's 'house' had turned out to be a mansion. It was like walking into a fantasy land with its golden embellishments and embroidered draperies. One would think that the overall effect would be considered ostentatious but somehow I worked with its oak paneling and polished flooring. Each detail complimented the other, her favorite thus far being the intricate carvings on each door. There were a multitude of swirls and patterns, each line coming together to meet a crescent moon directly in the middle of the door. It was awe inspiring actually. To think she hadn't even seen the entire mansion yet.

Even so she couldn't complain. It gave her time to explore her own room. It lacked the somewhat flashy effect of the halls but in turn it offered a delicate sense of hominess that was usually difficult to achieve in a room so large. She loved everything about it from the soft plush carpet and dark green walls to the large canopy bed and the oak armoire. Of course it didn't hurt that the room also had its own bathroom complete with a large sunken tub.

Exhausted she fell back on to the bed and sighed in comfort; it was like lying on a cloud.

'So this is what heaven feels like.'


End file.
